Anthem Book Review: Memoir Reviews

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

by SHERMAN ALEXIE

You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me is a memoir by Sherman Alexie and was released earlier this year by Little, Brown and Company. I am a huge fan of Alexie’s work and was looking forward to reading his memoir. Since I already enjoyed Alexie’s fiction work, clearly, I assumed his memoir You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me would be no different.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me covers Alexie’s entire life. Although deceived by the photo on the front, it is not entirely about his relationship with his mother. Actually, that lovely photo of Lillian Alexie smiling and holding her child is not even the author Sherman Alexie, but rather his oldest sister Tina. Go figure? The book covers every aspect of Alexie’s life on the Spokane Indian Reservation and beyond.

According to the book, Alexie did not have the best relationship with his mother. This knowledge sprinkles the book with scattered cold memories of Ms. Lillian Alexie and Sherman. There were many times while reading the book where I just disliked Sherman, and thought that he really never did much to build or create a relationship with his mother. In the book, he comes across as somewhat detached from his immediate family, especially his mother. His relationship with his father, his older sister who dies in a fire, his brother and even his twin sisters are much more typical, but his relationship with his mother is one of distance and that distance is revealed throughout the book. And sadly, that coming together never came for me.

The book highlights the horror and constant pain that Native Americans dealt with throughout their lifetime and thereafter the impact this caused the generations that followed. For this, and so many other injustices that our First Americans had to endure I felt a deep rooting pain for them and Alexie does a great job in telling this story through the memories both shared and not that his family silently lived with.

Memoirs have the power to make the reader feel connected to the person and almost root for them. There was just none of that happening for me in You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me. I felt a tinge of rooting and love for his mother but there were few passages that made me feel that way for Alexie. The horrible story of him as a nine year old, attacked by an aunt for losing moccasins, broke my heart. The depiction of poverty and struggle were undoubtedly tough to read, but Lillian; she did everything possible within her means to improve their life. She quit drinking; she worked hard making quilts and struggled to pay bills. Despite their meager means, she kept the family HUD home, making the monthly payments.

In passages Alexie discusses how he was bullied by reservation kids, and then described how nearly all of his reservation bullies died before they reached the age of 30. Alexie left the reservation during his youth. This migration changed the course of Alexie’s life, this and the fact that even as a child, Alexie had a different mind, a different calling and that calling is the voice that has made him famous in the literary world. This voice in fiction is why many enjoy his writing, but in memoir writing, his voice is muddled with his personality and it is not as pleasurable to read as his fiction writing.

There are poems scattered throughout the book. Each chapter is something new; rarely do the chapters’ vibe off each other. His wife of nearly 20 years states that after reading his book she describes it as if he wrote it as a quilt, in pieces, fabric turned into pages of prose and poetry. Alexie agrees with her, his mother was a quilt maker and in homage to her, he wrote the memoir in the same fashion.

After reading You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, the chapters or fabrics are so sporadic and misplaced the quilt never provides comfort because it's not correctly sewn together and unravels.

There are some good images in the book. It is entertaining and at times made me laugh, sigh and ache for the Alexie family. It is also sprinkled in politics, and yes, the name Trump is mentioned in the memoir which was kind of annoying.

Overall, there were some really beautiful images and as always good storytelling, but it came in the middle of heavy self-loathing writing, politics, and irregular fabric pages not quite intended for a quilt. I will still read Alexie’s work. But hopefully this is the last memoir he writes. I prefer his fiction.

Happy Reading!

By Francine

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NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL by Lena Dunham

First things first, I have read the controversy that has somehow attached itself to Dunham’s memoir. I did my best to not pay attention to it and instead read the book myself in entirety and formed my own opinion. Often times people’s perceptions are greater than reality and can fog the truth. The alleged controversy of Dunham being a pedophile and preying on her younger sister Grace is a perfect example of this fog.

If one read the book, and I mean the entire book, clearly one would take note of Lena’s writing style and tone. When she writes of Grace it is with a sincere sibling love, yet, still, in complete “Lena-Lingo”.

Although, Lena is only six years older than Grace their relationship early on it seems is very parental sprinkled with sibling love/rivalry. Lena wants Grace to need her, and wants badly for that sisterly/maternal bond. It is here that Lena makes the statements that have drove so many to go viral with the news that Lena was a child pedophile and make audacious comments regarding her moral decency.

“As she grew, I took to bribing her for her time and affection..…. “, “…Basically, anything a sexual predator might do to woo a small suburban girl I was trying…”…… What I really wanted, beyond affection, was to feel that she needed me. That she was helpless without her big sister leading her through the world.”

Maybe Dunham’s wording for the desire of a stronger relationship with Grace was miswritten and could have been done in a way that didn’t seem so offensive to the reader. However, if Lena would have done that, well, it wouldn’t have been Lena at all. And honestly, the book would not have been so great. It is her knack with words in describing with such comedic genius her diets or her co-ed sleepovers to the beautifully delicate way she writes of her mother creating the first selfie that makes “Not that Kind of Girl” such a wonderful read; take that voice away and not a thing would remain the same.

Lena’s way with words are unconventional to say the least, but to label her with the label of pedophile is a bit harsh considering the entire memoir is so unconventionally written. So now that I have gotten that out of the way, here it is: NO, she is not a pedophile, NO, she did not molest her sister, No, this is not in any way a book one should not pick up and read because of those silly allegations of others that misconstrue words. So on to the review…

From the book cover in its 1980’s hot pink and black colors, to the inside jacket which is covered in beautiful tiny drawings of food that are artistically placed to look like wallpaper or maybe drapes, to the last page which gives a brief history of Baskerville font type, the book is absolutely charming.

Lena is honest and straight forward about almost every area in her life. From her early childhood to her days in college, Lena eloquently describes her lifes failures and conquests, her constant bed sharing with the opposite sex and moments of complete discomfort both physically and mentally that unravel in her life.

She shares the memory of discovering her sister Grace was a lesbian. She shares the reaction of her mother discovering this also with such tenderness it is as if the reader is in the kitchen as this bit of truth is being revealed for the first time.

Lena also takes the reader in on every relationship she had and shares the most private moments of low-self-esteem and confusion that often follow a relationship as it fails. In the middle of her college years, Lena is raped, or taken advantage of, this part of the book was stunning and not in a good way. Although Lena had taken the culprit back to her dorm room with her one night while she had too much to drink; he forced himself upon her and the secret was one she carried with her into adulthood. Eventually, Lena meets Jack and their relationship is a pleasure to read. Finally, the girl gets the guy. Jack is a plus to her already full life and it is he that allows her to break the silence and come to terms with her college-rape-issue. Jack’s love and support begins to shape Lena’s life in a positive way.

For any fan of “Girls” out there Lena describes how the idea was thought up and birthed. The book is an absolute fun book to read, a delightful and moving memoir on a girl’s life into womanhood.

Written By Francine

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Photo by Francine. Owl bookmark sold separate

Written by Chiquis Rivera
Published: April 7, 2015
Published by: Atria Books

Chiquis Rivera finally penned a memoir. It discusses in a little more detail events that most fans of the late Jenni Rivera are familiar with. For instance, Chiquis was molested by her father, she basically raised most of her siblings as her mother shot to stardom and that the relationship between Estevan and Chiquis did in fact play a role in the divorce between Jenni Rivera and Estevan.

There was some information written in the book that made complete sense and others that made none. First off, during the bitter fight between mother and daughter it seems Jenni was bankrolling her entire family, including her brother Pastor Pete’s church. So when it came to choosing sides, of course money won. Chiquis was ultimately banished from the Rivera family, save that of her uncle Juan (who remained neutral). Jenni’s place amongst the family was secure and Chiquis presence was all but forbidden. Sounds accurate, families can play dirty when rumors run rampant. This is according to Chiquis.

The one element of the book I found disturbing and question the validity of it is that of Jenni being erratic and believing her assistance’s girlfriend that Chiquis was having an affair with Estevan and using the video surveillance tape as proof. According to Chiquis, after her mother’s death, close examination of the tape with the Rivera family, this same tape that had had her mother disown her had now exonerated her of any affair with her step-father.

She also writes that the reason no one in her family came forward to confront Jenni about the tapes inability to prove an affair, was again, because of Jenni holding the moneybags. I cannot imagine Jenni Rivera La Diva de la Banda, a self-made woman, a real hardnosed, a go-getter, a survivor, a strong logical woman, losing her scruples against her most beloved daughter and disowning her all based on unreliable sources and a void surveillance tape.

Chiquis does her best to write of her innocence and her mother’s foolish assumptions and manipulations by others for their falling out. This just seems hard to believe. One may never know the entire truth. Jenni is gone and her side of the story will never fully be explained. Whatever it was and wherever the truth is, Jenni removed Chiquis from her will and upon her death Chiquis received no inheritance.

This falling out between the two would never be fixed. Sadly, the amazing Jenni Rivera died a few months later. At the last concert of her life she dedicated a beautiful haunting version of Paloma Negra to her estranged daughter. Clearly, the absence of her daughter in her life brought Jenni an extreme amount of sadness in her last days.

Chiquis’s book is titled Forgiveness; for Forgiveness that she bestows on all those that hurt her, including her mother.

Overall, if you are a fan of Jenni Rivera, you will most likely like her daughter. The book is worth reading. I am a huge fan of Jenni Rivera so getting a closer glimpse into the life of La Diva was well worth it for me.

The book also provides a deeper understanding and respect for Chiquis that poor girl really went through a lot with a tiger mother like Jenni. With that, no strong successful woman is going to be a pushover at home. Jenni raised five kids as mostly a single mother so it is no doubt that she would be a tough cookie at home as she was in life.

I rate this book 3 stars. It was a fun read. One I thoroughly enjoyed. Viva La Diva De la Banda!

I also recommend reading Jenni Rivera's memoir tilted Unbreakable.

Written & Reviewed by Francine Ramos

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The Other Wes Moore

This book is about two males with the same names and from nearby communities in West Baltimore. Wes Moore the writer of this book does his best to link the two together. Wes Moore attempts do to this by the obvious name both boys share, both are also fatherless at early ages and raised by single mothers. Yet, other than those few mentioned similarities, the book fails to build a stong enough link between the two as the jacket of the book insists. For me this was really disappointing.

One Wes Moore ends up in prison and the other Wes Moore a Rhode Scholor and a decorated Army officer that eventually is a speaker at Obama’s presidential nomination.

Wes Moore the writer was born from first generation American parents and had opportunity early on that the other did not. His family is educated, and exteremly determined against the odds placed upon them. They also succeed in grabbing hold of the American dream by attending and graduating college. His father is a reputable up and coming jounalist and his mother is a polorizing figure that does her best to rear young Moore after his father dies unexpectedly.

After his father’s death, Moore’s mother moves her children to live near her parents in New York. Wes Moore’s grandparents play a huge role in his life. Ultimately, this support system and a mother that refuses to let her son become another statistic pushes Moore onto the right path and forever alters his life.

The “other” Wes Moore is not so fortunate. His mother is also seeking a better life for her sons, Wes Moore is the youngest of the two brothers and it is clear that she holds him close placing all her hopes in him. Yet, during former President Reagan’s term, opportunity for those, including Wes’s mother to attend college is removed. Since there is no more grant funding Moore’s mother is unable to pay her college tutition. This part in the book was very distrubing because it alters young Moore’s chance to see how important education is in life.

The “other” Wes Moore does not have a strong support system. He has an older brother Tony that is already dealing drugs and running with gangs and although Tony forbids Moore from doing the same, his example has a lasting effect on Moore.

Moore begins selling drugs and making thousands of dollars. His mother is not as active in Moore’s life and although she too is against him dealing drugs, he does not stop. Moore begins a life of crime and ends up in juvenile hall. He also has children early on. There are moments in Moore’s life where he attempts to get on the right path by attending school and working a legitimate job. Yet, with children from two different women, the lure of fast money is again a temptation and he easily falls victim to this lifestyle.

Long story short he ends up in serving a life-sentence in prison.

This book fails to cover the true disparities between the two.

Moore takes the reader with him while he begins a friendship with the “other” Wes Moore in prison. Yet, those pages seem so irrelevant and it leaves the reader wanting more of the “other” Moore. It was difficult for me to get a real glimpse of this “other” Wes Moore. The passages about him are underdeveloped.

Ultimately, the link is broken, if there ever was a real one besides the two sharing the same name. One had more opportunity, a solid and encouraging family with the financial means to provide a better life. They also moved from West Baltimore to New York, allowing for diversity and mentoring from positive individuals to form.

Sadly, the “other” Wes Moore had none of that. I wanted to like this book. I rooted for the “other” Wes Moore but as the book carried on, it seemed like a vehicle for the decorated Moore to share his story and merely a sad backstory of another Wes Moore that shared the same name but nothing else.

I give this book two stars. I do however recommend this book, especially for teenagers and young adults. It is so important to see that every choice has a lasting consequence on life. It also opens up dialog on the importance of mentoring. It seems so crucial and maybe had the “other” Wes Moore had a positive mentor he would not be spending his life behind bars.

Written by Francine

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Charles Ramsey’s Dead Giveaway: The Rescue, Hamburgers, White Folks, and Instant Celebrity…What you saw on TV doesn’t even begin to tell the story… is funny and straight forward. Ramsey is as honest as can be when telling his story. In case you are not familiar with him, he is the guy that busted the door down to save Amanda Berry after she was screaming for help in May of last year. Because of his brave acts three abducted women were freed. This catapulted Ramsey to instant stardom. Soon he was on Good Morning America, talking to Snoop Dog and an unofficial spokesperson for McDonalds.

There were points while reading the book on my Kindle Fire that I questioned why I had purchased it. Ramsey goes on and on about his life which is just one mess up after the other. He admits his faults easily and even though he has a tumultuous relationship with his parents, ends up in prison, has a domestic violence charge on his rap sheet and willingly excuses himself from the military there is an honest and real quality about Ramsay that makes me like him. He is charming and delightfully ghetto.

He details his points up to the rescue of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus. I learned a few things from reading this book that I was not privy to. First off, did you know that Crips when talking do their best to not say words that begin with the letter "b" and bloods do the same, they don’t say words that begin with the letter "c". So during a telephone conversation Ramsey recalls having with Snoop Dog all this non consonant rules are played out and it was just fascinating.

Ramsey doesn’t talk about the three girls much. The majority of the book is about him. In the last few chapters he does write more about them. To my shock he states that other people in the close community on Seymour Ave the same area where the crimes occurred that witnesses have stated that Amanda Berry and her daughter from Ariel Castro were seen in the area walking to the store in disguise. Ramsey questions why they wouldn’t have screamed for help. There were some other questionable statements he discussed about the abductions. It turns out (another thing I learned) that Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus are coming out with a book together about the ordeal and that Michelle Knight and the two other girls all have different accounts of what happened in the house. That will be an interesting book to read. And well of course they would all have different versions they were after all allegedly kept separate most of the time so how would one be story be alike.

The book is an easy read. Ramsey is a good guy. I really liked his personality in the book. It was very hood, very honest and I appreciate those attributes in people. Best of luck to him what he did was courageous and deserves to be celebrated. In a time where people turn a blind eye to crime and injustice, Ramsey took the initiative and acted, by doing so he saved a little girl and three women who had been captive for years. This good deed not only changed the the three ladies lives but also his for the better. Good job Mr. Ramsey!

Happy Reading!

~ by Francine

Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings

by Michelle Knight (Author), Michelle Burford (Contributor)

“No one has changed me like Michelle Knight and her story of survival.”—Dr. Phil McGraw

For nearly four thousand days Michelle Knight was held captive. Eleven long grueling years she lived in an unimaginable hell-hole, complete with the devil himself. Whatever comes to mind when one thinks of what evil is, after reading this book that image will change. Because evil is not the creepy cape wearing monster with horns protruding from his head, no. Evil is human. Evil is often a familiar face. Evil is a school bus driver with a deceptive smile that begs to be trusted.

This was the case of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus when these three women over the course of several years found themselves in the car of a familiar faced man, Ariel Castro. Michelle Knight was the first to be abducted and she is rightfully so the first to open the door and share her ordeal.

On May 6, 2013, when the women were discovered the whole world was in awe and wanted nothing more than to know how this went on for so long, what really happened behind those doors? Well, Knight takes the reader deep into the heartbreaking horrific details of what it was like every day with the evil Castro.

Knight dedicates the book to her son Joey. As I read the book I couldn’t help but feel the continuous love Knight carried for her son. It was this love that really gave her the strength to make it through all the abuse, the thought of seeing Joey again is what gave her hope and had her cling to life in the midst of hell.

The book begins with Michelle as a young girl growing up in poverty. She was raped and continuality abused since she was a young girl. Life had not been kind to her as a child. Yet, in these horrible years living with nearly eleven relatives and some days having no food to eat, one is able to get a glimpse of the strong Michelle Knight that later triumphs in life. She had always been the motherly type, making meals for her twin brothers out of scraps of food, washing them up and dressing them for school. Eventually she runs away from home to get away from the constant abuse and sells drugs on the streets with a drug dealer (possibly the only man that ever treats her decently). Her father eventually finds her living under a bridge in a trash can and forces her home.

Soon after she meets a boy at school and is pregnant. The birth of Joey and his presence in her life brings her so much joy. She loves him and showers him with attention and love. With little money to celebrate the holidays, Michelle becomes inventive and creates a makeshift Christmas tree with twigs and spends the little money she has to purchase him a gift. She does the little things to build memories with him as a family, and boy does she love him. This happiness is short lived, for one day as she returns from a job search her mother’s new boyfriend hurts Joey. Michelle takes him to the hospital and within no time at all child protective services remove Joey from her custody.

Michelle moves out to the safe home of her cousin and attempts to gain custody of Joey back. It is here that she meets Ariel Castro’s daughter. It is here that the name and face of evil become familiar.

So one hot afternoon Michelle is lost walking in circles looking for an address to meet with child workers about gaining custody of Joey back. She is desperate to make this meeting. She is pounding the pavement asking everyone she sees for directions to this unknown address. While in a local Family Dollar she questions the cashier woman if she knew where this address was, and Castro chimes in that he can help.

Castro was not a stranger to Knight. She was friends with his daughter so when he told her he would drive her there she obliges. After some manipulation and the promise of a new puppy for her son, Joey, Castro coaxes Knight into his chamber. What happens the next eleven years is heartbreaking. The terror and abuse she suffered at Castro’s hands, I will never be able to wrap my mind around. How could someone be so mean? Knight takes the reader with her right into the room where the abuse begins, and each beating, rape, humiliation and control Castro forces upon her. It is much too much to read at night or alone. It is heartbreaking.

And it is her love, her motherly love for Joey that keeps her going. And what a mother she is. Even after she is released when she finds out that Joey is living a good life and is happy with his adoptive parents, she agrees to not disturb his life. She agrees to allow him to continue living as though he never knew her. She gives him this unselfishly, choosing his happiness over hers. It is heartbreaking and a true testament to a mother’s love that all we want is our children to be well. Michelle writes in several areas that she is a baseball fan and upon her freedom from the prison of Castro she finds out that Joey is a star baseball player.

Despite everything Michelle Knight has endured she still is the motherly, nurturing soul, giving direction to the world, to her readers, to be mindful, if something is amiss report it, if abuse is taking place, report it, stay alert, pay attention because had someone had paid attention she may have not been imprisoned in Castro’s hellhole for eleven years.

This book is devastating but I recommend reading it. It is important we know that evil people like Castro do exist and often times the abuser is a familiar face.

My thoughts, wishes, prayers for Knight is that happiness finds her daily and that she never feel alone. After all she has been through she deserves much more than words can say.

Francine

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"An Invisible Thread" Book Review"

I walked into Barnes & Noble, a place I often refer to as the mothership because it is the moving force of life, a place teeming with books of knowledge, interesting ideas and words that shape one's mind, it is after all, the only major bookstore in Fresno and it can take you anywhere in this world and beyond, by simply opening one of its many books and reading. I went in with a list of three books I had been wanting to read, and as I scanned the tables with an assortment of choices, one in particular stood out. It was not on my list. Nevertheless, I purchased it. It turned out to be one of the best random choices I have ever made.

An Invisible Thread is the true story of an 11 year-old boy, begging for money on a busy street in New York and a successful sales executive that doesn't walk past the strange boy in a hurry, rather, she stops and the rest is life changing for both.

I have read other books and heard of stories like this scenario, poor black kid in need, a successful white woman with all the wealth and success in the world mentors and saves the child from all the what ifs. He is grateful. She is grateful. If they are lucky enough a motion picture will be produced, after the book has had a lasting life on the New York Bestsellers list, the film will probably feature a famous female face and soon an Oscar and even a sit down with Oprah.

An Invisible Thread is not one of those tales. It is the real deal story, of what honestly happens when two people meet and one needs help from the other. It doesn't end with the poor black kid getting a scholarship to an Ivy League school or an NFL contract. It isn't the typical romantic idea of taking the kid out of the ghetto because in real life, he will probably stay in the ghetto, but things will change.

Laura is a rather successful ad executive. Maurice is an 11 year-old boy with divorced parents that are addicted to crack, actually his entire family is either addicted to crack at one point or another, or they are selling crack or in jail for possession.

Maurice lives in government owned buildings, sometimes on the street, sometimes in a rented room with more than 12 people. He has no idea what gifts are, the only real gift he ever receives is a joint from his grandmother. Violence is an everyday norm in his young life. He fails in school. He has no one but himself and his future is grim. No one in his family has ever went to college or had their own room. The simple pleasures that most take for granted like, eating dinner at a table, baking cookies, owning items like a toothbrush have never been a luxury in his life.

So on a sunny day in September as he sits on a busy New York street begging for change, Laura walks by him, on her way to run errands and then she does what many wouldn't do, she turns back looks at the boy and asks him if he is hungry. Soon they are eating at McDonalds and she offers to meet him next Monday and every Monday after for lunch. He agrees and a friendship develops.

Laura is a woman unlike most heroic figures in other stories. She does not come form money. She never attended college. She worked hard for everything. This is where the story for me changes. Laura is real. She has a life many can relate to. Her father was a heavy drinker and he verbally abused her older brother, and at times abused her mother. He was cold and impulsive. He created an unstable life for her and in so, taught Laura the hardships life and love can offer.

The cruelness of her father's bitter rages toward her oldest brother Frank stumps his entire life. The parts in the book about Frank really bothered me. He was abused so badly by his father and the entire family knew it and were helpless in stopping it. They too lived in fear of their fathers rages. Yet, no one but Frank carried the deepest scars. Reading this made me want to time warp into the book and save Frank. In the end, no one could. Frank became a good a man and an excellent step-father despite all that happened to him. Loving another and being happy was a virtue that escaped him. He was twice divorced and lived a rather lonely unfulfilled life. He never really recovered from the pain inflicted upon him by his father's hand and venom filled words. Some things cannot be undone.

Laura's love life is not much better. Her first husband leaves her for another woman. Her mother dies of cancer. She has to work harder than the average sales executive because of her non-existent college degree. She is just a woman trying to get by in the big city of New York when she meets Maurice. Looking at her life, one does not automatically see what difference she can make in this boys life. However, she does.
As the book carries on, Laura is what a child like Maurice needs, what every child needs for that matter. She is consistent. She is an example. She teaches him the simplicity of life like, eating dinner at a table, like conversation. She opens the door to her not so privileged life and welcomes him in. She expects nothing from him and that is what is so great about the book. She just wants to be there for him, because there is an invisible thread that links us to others. It is this thread of friendship that changes his life.

Maurice's living situations never really improve. He is homeless often. Laura never adopts him or disturbs his life by taking him away to live with her. Instead she just offers a haven of sorts every Monday as time permits.

And each moment she spends with him shapes his young mind. As he grows older and things get worse for him. His father dies of AIDS, his mother is sent to prison for nearly beating a woman to death over drugs and his heart is broken when he finds out that his grandmother, the only woman he believed was drug free was indeed a crack addict and on her deathbed her only desire was that her daughter sneak her in crack so she could get high before she dies.

There are moments where he could have taken the road his uncles did, he could have sold drugs, did drugs, robbed and hurt others. Yet, he never does. He learns to trust life and trust that making right decisions will improve his life. Why, because he witnessed it first hand over all the time he spent with Laura. These moments in the book were really eye opening to me. We often do not see the power we hold and the influence we have on peoples lives. Especially those closest to us. Mothers are the biggest example to their child. When children are young it may not be as evident that your kindness and unconditional love will rub off on your children but it does have a lasting effect.

In "An Invisible Thread" this is evident. Maurice has several children by the time he is a young adult. Yet, he is not like all the other men that shared the same tough life as he did. He works. He gets his GED, he enrolls in community college and becomes a mentor to other inner city children with poverty ridden pasts. He reaches out to help others, just as someone once did for him.

If there is one thing that "An Invisible Thread" taught me was this, that the power of kindness is the biggest helping hand to one in need. I would like to go on and on about this book, but I don't want to completely spoil it for you. I encourage you to read it. A percentage of proceeds from purchasing this book goes directing to the non-profit, NO KID HUNGRY which is a national campaign to provide and feed children that would otherwise go hungry. For more information on this or how you can help please visit www.NoKidHungry.org.

This story is a beautiful tale of friendship and trust. I recommend this book.

"An Invisible Thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle. But it will never break."

~Ancient Chinese Proverb